Harbour's orange water is a 'cocktail of nasties'

Concerns have been raised about chemical levels in water in a harbour that has turned orange.

The water in Whitehaven's Queens Dock, in Cumbria, has been discoloured since 2022 because of iron ochre draining through a culvert from Bransty railway tunnel.

A FOI request by campaign group Radiation Free Lakeland (RaFL) to Network Rail found iron and manganese levels in the water were significantly above the European quality standard. Campaigner Marianne Birkby said: "It's a cocktail of nasties."

The Environment Agency (EA) said it believed the chemicals originated from former mine workings but there would not be a "significant impact" on the environment as they would be diluted.

However, the data has prompted calls for plans to divert the water into the sea to be dropped.

Birkby said the chemicals needed to be mitigated, not dispersed.

Dr Rich Crane, associate professor of sustainable mining at the University of Exeter, said there would likely be an environmental impact.

He said iron and manganese discharge could cause problems including falling oxygen levels, the smothering of habitats and impaired photosynthesis.

"This requires detailed monitoring and re-evaluation," Crane said.

"Given legacy mine water discharges are typically persistent, a remediation scheme may ultimately be required."

Remediation would involve treating the mine water to improve its quality, such as pumping it with chemical reagents or planting reed beds to filter it.

Birkby also said multiple samples were found to have acidic pH values and that the water should therefore be classified as acidic mine drainage - which is recognised as harmful to wildlife.

In response, a spokesperson for the EA said it was reviewing RaFL's findings and "working with our Whitehaven Harbour Task Force partners to find solutions to inherently difficult problems".

Chair of the taskforce Labour MP Josh MacAlister's team confirmed the plan was still to divert the water into the sea.

The EA said because all the mines in the area closed before 2000, no-one was legally liable for the pollution or could be prosecuted for allowing it to continue.

Up to 1999, mine operators could abandon a mine without notifying anyone and disregard any responsibility for allowing contaminated water to enter into waterways.

The Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) said it had worked with the Whitehaven Harbour taskforce to help look at possible solutions for the discoloured water at Whitehaven Harbour.

"We remain committed to supporting our partners should the project progress in future," a MRA spokesperson said.

The Bransty Tunnel has been closed to trains since July after engineers found its floor needed "significant reinforcement" after old mine structures were discovered during survey work.

Network Rail said the orange water had "adversely impacted" both the railway and Whitehaven Harbour since it appeared three years ago.

A spokesperson said teams were working on a repair plan "so we can deliver our essential track and drainage renewals through it as soon as possible".

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